Andrea Martinez

I’ve been looking at a picture of Audrey and I can’t take my eyes off of her. It’s not just because she is so beautiful. It's because there is something about her that makes her look like she is from another world. Her look is penetrating. What is that look in her eye? It’s as if she knows something that I do not. I can sense sadness, or is it disappointment? Excitement? This elegance and mystery is what made her an icon in the film industry.

Let’s get to know her a little bit more…

1. She lived under Nazi occupation.

Hepburn's mother was a Dutch baroness, and though they lived in England before WWII, they moved to the Netherlands in hopes of being safe. But this turned out to be a bad decision as Holland was soon under Nazi occupation too.

2. She fought against the Nazis as one of the Dutch insurgents

Audrey Hepburn joined the resistance, denying her family's political tendencies. Audrey, who was a conservatory student at the time, helped the insurgents by smuggling money and information. Actually, the Nazis once stopped her car for a search, but she managed to escape.

3. She volunteered as a nurse during World War II

Hepburn, who volunteered as a war nurse in a hospital in Arnhem, unknowingly tended to one of Hollywood's most cherished directors. The wounded soldier's name was Terence Young, and years later he directed Wait Until Dark, in which Hepburn starred. I would say that is serendipity at its best…

4. She almost starved to death in the Nazi occupation.

Hundreds of people died from starvation because the Nazis confiscated food stocks in the region and blocked all entrances. Hepburn, like so many others, was once on the verge of starvation.

5. She was a dentist's assistant before he becoming an actress.

I promise you this is true. She was about to become a dental assistant, but a talent scout discovered her and took her to the Broadway stage instead of the dental chair.

6. The well-known French designer Givenchy was her personal stylist.

Audrey met with Givenchy while looking at the costume for her role in Sabrina. In fact, Givenchy was a little disappointed because she thought Katherine Hepburn was going to show up, but a great friendship was born from this confusion.

7. She loved ballet.

Audrey Hepburn started taking ballet lessons when she was 5 years old. However, the destruction caused by hunger and illness in the war years left her unhealthy, and she was not able to continue. In an interview she said; "I wanted to dance a lot more than I feared German soldiers.”

8. She thought she was not beautiful.

That is unbelievable! We don’t know what to say about this considering she is one of the most beautiful women to walk the Earth.

9. Her feet were a little bit big.

Her shoe size was 10 ½! Does this even count as a flaw?

10. She had a pet deer.

Here is another very unusual fact. She was a true animal lover. While filming Green Mansions, the animal trainer told her to take home the deer so that the two could bond. However, Hepburn was so accustomed to the deer that she named him Pippin and never left him again.

11. Her real name was not Audrey Hepburn.

She was born on May 4, 1929 as Audrey Kathleen Ruston and changed her name to Edda vaan Heemstra because she thought it might be dangerous to have an English name during the war.

12. She used to smoke 3 packs a day.

Sad but true...

13. Her favorite color was cyan blue.

Although everyone thinks her favorite color was white, her son later explained that her favorite color was cyan blue.

14. She could speak five languages.

Yes, five languages. She could speak English, Dutch, Spanish, French and Italian fluently!

15. She wanted to have many, many kids.

She always wanted to have many kids. She even abandoned her beloved William Holden after she learned that he had undergone sterilization surgery and could not to have children. (At least, that’s what’s the gossip says.) She had a miscarriage due to stress and weakness, but in the end she had two sons!